Road crash victim in coma awarded Rs 18.6-lakh compensation

The court of additional district and sessions judge Gurvinder Kaur on Tuesday awarded Rs 18.6 lakh as compensation to an accident victim who has been in coma for the past two years.

A resident of Sector 19 of Panchkula, Rajiv Sharma, 40, who used to work as a car driver, met with an accident at Amartex Chowk on September 3, 2011, as his motorcycle was hit by a Haryana Roadways bus.

Bus driver Manoj Kumar is facing trial in a separate case in which Sharma's father is the complainant.

Sharma had suffered head injury, visual and speech impairment and became paraplegic.

As per the judgment on Tuesday, Sharma was earning Rs 5,000 per month at the time of the accident, and assuming an increase in salary over time for the next 15 years, the financial compensation was calculated at Rs 9 lakh.

For his medical expenses including that of physiotherapy and psychotherapy, another Rs 3.6 lakh was awarded, while Rs 3 lakh are for loss of life expectancy and a further Rs 3 lakh was given for pain and suffering. As per the order, out of the Rs 18.6 lakh, Rs 14 lakh would be put in Sharma's bank account as fixed deposit.

New India Assurance Company, which had insured the bus, has to pay the amount.